#55: Points expert, Julia Menez, joins Chris to go deep on all things points and miles, including points stacking, optimizing rewards, tools to help organize your points and miles, using buying clubs to earn lots of points, and Chris shares how a somewhat sketchy website saved him an extra 15% off a new couch! Julia Menez (@geobreezetravel) is a points strategy coach, speaker and host of the Geobreeze Travel podcast, where she interviews travelers from all walks of life about their points and miles strategies. Full show notes at: https://allthehacks.com/maximize-points-julia-menez Sponsor Links Vuori: 20% off the most comfortable performance apparel I've ever worn Inside Tracker: 20% off personalized wellness & nutrition plans backed by science Fabric: Affordable term life insurance for you and your family CardPointers: 20% off the app that helps you earn more cash back, points, and miles Point.me Award Search: $1 trial w/ this link (and the code HACKS) Selected Links From The Episode Connect with Julia Menez: Website | Instagram | Facebook Julia’s Podcast: Geobreeze Travel Julia’s gift to All the Hacks listeners: Geobreeze Hotel Upgrade Template Buyers Clubs PFS Buyers Club MYS Buying Group BuyForMeRetail @thepointsanalyst Pack Your Bags With Points Julia's Monthly Buyers Club Masterclass Earn More Points + $$$ Grabr - Get paid to bring items when you travel Rakuten - Cash back Fluz - Cash back Seated - 20%+ back at restaurants Dosh - Additional rewards Cashback Monitor - Find the best cash back Honey & RetailMeNot - Get Promo Codes SearchTempest - Search Craigslist Savendeals - Buy coupons MyVegas Rewards - Get points for Vegas Frequent Miler Doctor Of Credit Pay1040.com - Pay taxes with credit card ID.me - Discounts for teachers/military Optimizing Your Points Feedly AwardWallet Travelfreely CardPointers Credit Karma Point.me ANA Around the World Redemption United Excursionist Perk Scott’s Cheap Flights Credit Cards American Express Gold - 4x Dining/Groceries Bilt Rewards - Earn Points on Rent Chase Freedom Unlimited - 1.5x on Everything Chase Freedom Flex - 5x on Rotating Categories Chase Sapphire Preferred - Huge 80k Bonus and 3x Dining/2x Travel Chase Sapphire Reserve - 3x Dining/Travel All the Hacks Card Signup Site - Thanks for using this! :) Podcasts Geobreeze Travel podcast: Episode 7 - How to Stack Points and Rewards Programs with Angel Trinh (@pennywisetraveler) Episode 56 - How to Earn More Points on a Teacher's Salary with Zac Hood (travelfreely.net) Episode 67 - Brazil Travel Tricks and Military Benefits with Mark White Hacking the American Dream Full Show Notes How people on a smaller budget can earn enough points for travel (03:05) Outsource buying, how participating in buying groups can work to your advantage (05:14) When sourcing items, do buyers usually pay more the item costs? (07:04) Buyer’s groups: are they reliable? (08:36) Using multiple Chase cards to earn more points (11:10) Bringing electronic and medical devices to Latin America (11:55) Chris & Julia walk through an extreme example of how valuable ‘stacking’ can be along with ways to automate the process (13:40) The unbelievable benefits of stacking through dining portals (14:54) Using Cashback Monitor (18:45) Julia’s favorite app for stacking deals in Las Vegas (23:53) Chris highlights the “crazy amounts” of point stacking deals (26:39) Specific places to search online for timely deals to help organize your point balances (28:52) Why it’s important to understand the 5/24 rule and its exceptions (31:54) Julia Menez’s go-to cards and her advice for travelers who are just beginning to accumulate points (35:16) Amazing points redemptions (40:02) Buying points, is it worth it? (50:55) When paying taxes on a credit card might make sense (52:54) Hacks for military and their spouses (57:49) Julia's hotel upgrade template (59:56) Where to find Julia Menez online (1:01:50)